[Technical Field]
[0001] This specification claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application
No.
10-2014-0052648 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on April 30, 2014.
[0002] The present specification relates to an organic solar cell and a method for manufacturing
the same.
[Background Art]
[0003] According to an energy review material by a US National Laboratory NREL, the energy
sources, which are currently mainly used, are petroleum, coal, and gas. These energy
sources amount to 80% of the total energy source which is used. However, the current
depletion state of petroleum and coal energy is gradually becoming a big problem,
and an increase in emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the
air is generating increasingly severe problems. In contrast, the use of renewable
energy which is non-polluting green energy is yet about 2% of the total energy source.
Thus, worries about solving the problems of the energy source more and more have become
a motivation for promoting studies for developing new renewable energy. Among the
new renewable energy sources such as wind, water, and the sun, solar energy is drawing
the most attention. Solar cells using solar energy produce less pollution, are limitless
in terms of resources, have a semi-permanent lifetime, and thus are expected as an
energy source capable of solving the future energy problems.
[0004] A solar cell is a device which may directly convert solar energy into electric energy
by applying a photovoltaic effect. The solar cell may be divided into an inorganic
solar cell and an organic solar cell, depending on the materials constituting a thin
film. Typical solar cells are made through a p-n junction by doping crystalline silicon
(Si), which is an inorganic semiconductor. Electrons and holes generated by absorbing
light diffuse to p-n junction points and move to an electrode while being accelerated
by the electric field. The power conversion efficiency in this process is defined
as the ratio of electric power given to an external circuit and solar power entering
the solar cell, and the efficiency have reached approximately 24 % when measured under
a currently standardized virtual solar irradiation condition. However, since inorganic
solar cells in the related art already have shown the limitation in economic feasibility
and material demands and supplies, an organic solar cell, which is easily processed
and inexpensive and has various functionalities, has come into the spotlight as a
long-term alternative energy source.
[0005] For the early organic solar cell, the group of Professor Heeger at UCSB of USA initiatively
led the development of technology. The organic solar cell has an advantage in that
monomolecular organic materials or polymer materials used easily and quickly enable
an inexpensive and large area process.
[0006] EP-A-2 975 663, prior art pursuant to Article 54(3) EPC only, discloses an organic electronic device
including a fullerene derivative which may have the following general formula:

wherein Cn is a C
60-120 fullerene and n is an integer of 1 to 5.
[0007] However, according to the studies, which have been conducted until now, the organic
solar cell has a disadvantage in that the energy conversion efficiency is low. Therefore,
in order to secure the competitiveness with other solar cells at this point, it can
be said that an improvement in efficiency is very important
Jae Woong Jung et. al. reported in Advanced Materials, Vol. 23, no. 15, 2011, pages
1782-1787 about the enhanced performance and air stability of polymer solar cells by formation
of a self-assembled buffer layer from fullerene-end-capped poly(ethylene glycol).
[Detailed Description of the Invention]
[Technical Problem]
[0008] An object of the present specification is to provide an organic solar cell and a
method for manufacturing the same.
[Technical Solution]
[0009] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an organic solar cell
comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode provided to face the first electrode;
a photoactive layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode;
and
a layer in contact with the photoactive layer comprising a fullerene derivative represented
by at least one of the Formulae 1 to 3:



wherein:
Cn is a C60 to C120 fullerene,
m and n are each an integer of 0 to 3,
x, y, and z are each an integer of 1 to 10,
R1 and R2 are the same as or different from each other, and each is hydrogen; a halogen
group; a carboxylic acid group; a nitro group; a nitrile group; an imide group; an
amide group; an imine group; thioimide; an anhydride group; a hydroxy group; a substituted
or unsubstituted ester group; a substituted or unsubstituted thioester group; a substituted
or unsubstituted thionoester group; a substituted or unsubstituted carbonyl group;
a substituted or unsubstituted thione group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl
group; a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
aryloxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylthioxy group; a substituted or
unsubstituted arylthioxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylsulfoxy group;
a substituted or unsubstituted arylsulfoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl
group; a substituted or unsubstituted silyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
boron group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted
aralkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylamine group; a substituted
or unsubstituted heteroarylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group;
or a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic group, and R1 and R2 in Chemical Formula
3 optionally combine with each other to form a monocyclic or polycyclic ring, with
the proviso that at least one of R1 and R2 is -(L)a-(Y), wherein:
a is an integer of 0 to 4,
when a is 2 or more, two or more L's are the same as or different from each other,
L is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent ester group; a substituted or unsubstituted
divalent thioester group; a substituted or unsubstituted divalent thionoester group;
a divalent ketone group;
a divalent thione group; a divalent carbonyl group;
a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkenylene
group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group; or a substituted or unsubstituted
divalent hetero-cyclic group, and
Y is a crown-type substituent,
Cy is a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
ring; or a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic hetero ring,
r is an integer of 0 to 2,
s is an integer of 0 to 30, and
when r and s are each 2 or more, the structures in the parenthesis are the same as
or different from each other, and
Chemical Formulae 1 to 3 being unsubstituted or optionally substituted with a substituent
selected from a halogen group; a carboxylic acid group; a nitro group; a nitrile group;
an imide group; an amide group; an imine group; thioimide; an anhydride group; a hydroxy
group; a substituted or unsubstituted ester group; a substituted or unsubstituted
thioester group; a substituted or unsubstituted thionoester group; a substituted or
unsubstituted carbonyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted thione group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl group; a substituted
or unsubstituted aryloxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylthioxy group;
a substituted or unsubstituted arylthioxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylsulfoxy
group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylsulfoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkenyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted silyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
boron group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted
aralkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylamine group; a substituted
or unsubstituted heteroarylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group;
and a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic group.
[0010] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing
an organic solar cell in accordance with the above first aspect comprising the steps
of:
forming the first electrode on a substrate;
forming two or more layers of organic material comprising a photoactive layer and
a layer comprising a fullerene derivative having a crown-type substituent, on the
first electrode; and
forming the second electrode on the layers of organic material layer.
[Advantageous Effects]
[0011] In the case of including a layer including the fullerene derivative according to
the present specification, the light absorbance is increased, the recombination of
charges is suppressed, and transport characteristics of current are improved. Accordingly,
an organic solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification
may implement an increase in short-circuit current density (Jsc) and an increase in
efficiency.
[0012] Further, the fullerene derivative is provided to be in contact with a photoactive
layer, and thus may lower the charge transfer barrier between the photoactive layer
and a charge transport layer and may improve the contact. In this case, the fill factor
(FF) may be improved to implement a high efficiency.
[0013] A layer including the fullerene derivative according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present specification may include an ionic group. In this case, light absorption
may be increased via redistribution of incident light, and the barrier of charges
may be adjusted due to an increase in interfacial dipole. In addition, it is possible
to expect an organic solar cell with high efficiency due to an increase in conductivity.
[0014] The organic solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification
may provide a uniform buffer layer while maintaining a thin thickness by a method
for simultaneously manufacturing a photoactive layer and a layer including a fullerene
derivative. Further, due to a simple manufacturing process, it is possible to reduce
production costs and/or increase the efficiency of the process.
[0015] The organic solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification
may have a wound structure, and when the structure is in a cylindrical form, the organic
solar cell may efficiently absorb light in various directions to increase the efficiency.
[Brief Description of Drawings]
[0016]
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an organic solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the MS spectrum of a fullerene derivative of Chemical
Formula 2-2-1.
[Best Mode]
[0017] Hereinafter, the present specification will be described in more detail.
[0018] When one member is disposed "on" another member in the present specification, this
includes not only a case where the one member is brought into contact with another
member, but also a case where still another member is present between the two members.
[0019] When one part "includes" one constituent element in the present specification, unless
otherwise specifically described, this does not mean that another constituent element
is excluded, but means that another constituent element may be further included.
[0020] An exemplary embodiment of the present specification provides an organic solar cell
comprising: a first electrode; a second electrode provided to face the first electrode;
a photoactive layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode;
and a layer including a fullerene derivative provided to be in contact with the photoactive
layer, in which the fullerene derivative has a crown-type substituent.
[0021] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the layer including the
fullerene derivative includes a self-phase separation unit. The self-phase separation
unit includes a hydrophobic or hydrophilic substituent.
[0022] In the present specification, the self-phase separation unit is a crown-type substituent.
[0023] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the photoactive layer includes
a photoactive layer material including one or two more materials selected from the
group consisting of electron acceptor materials and electron donor materials, and
the layer including the fullerene derivative is formed by the phase separation of
the photoactive layer material and a material for the layer including a fullerene
derivative.
[0024] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, at the boundary of the two
layers formed by the phase separation, the materials for the two layers may be partially
mixed with each other. This case allows a change in energy level to be generated in
a cascade mode. Accordingly, this case may be advantageous in transporting charges
and collecting charges. Furthermore, since a material for a layer including a fullerene
derivative is present on the surface of the photoactive layer due to the phase separation,
a change in surface energy may occur due to the vacuum level shift.
[0025] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the content of the fullerene
derivative having the crown-type substituent at the interface of the photoactive layer
and the layer including the fullerene derivative, which are formed by the phase separation
is 1 wt% to 15 wt%, and preferably 3 wt% to 7 wt%, based on the total content of the
photoactive layer material.
[0026] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, when the content of the
fullerene derivative having the crown-type substituent at the interface of the photoactive
layer and the layer including the fullerene derivative, which are formed by the phase
separation, is 15 wt% or more, there is an effect in that the thickness of the phase-separated
layer becomes larger than the optical thickness or the aggregation phenomenon in the
photoactive layer occurs, and thus charges may be trapped, or when the content is
1 wt% or less, it is difficult to form a single layer due to the phase separation,
but there is a weak effect of an increase in transporting charges caused by doping.
[0027] The "phase separation" in the present specification means that two or more materials
are separated from each other without a separate process by different affinities in
a uniform mixed state to form a layer phase.
[0028] Specifically, a material including the fullerene derivative may be separated by increasing
the amount of the hydrophilic crown-type substituent to enhance the hydrophilicity,
and may be separated by introducing hydrophobic substituent into the fullerene derivative
to enhance the hydrophobicity.
[0029] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the photoactive layer and
the layer including the fullerene derivative are provided to be in contact with each
other. To be provided to be in contact with each are not limited to a physical bond
or a chemical bond.
[0030] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the photoactive layer and
the layer including the fullerene derivative are simultaneously formed to be in contact
with each other by using the self-phase separation of the photoactive layer and the
layer including the fullerene derivative.
[0031] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the layer including the
fullerene derivative is provided on one surface of the photoactive layer which is
close to a first electrode. In another exemplary embodiment, the layer including the
fullerene derivative is provided on one surface of the photoactive layer which is
close to a second electrode.
[0032] The layer including the fullerene derivative may also be applied to a normal structure,
and may also be applied to an inverted structure.
[0033] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the layer including the
fullerene derivative serves as a buffer layer. The layer including the fullerene derivative
may serve to facilitate the movement of electrons between the photoactive layer and
the charge transport layer. Further, the layer including the fullerene derivative
may serve to facilitate the movement of charges between the charge transport layer
and the first electrode or the second electrode.
[0034] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the layer including the
fullerene derivative and formed by the phase separation has a thickness of 1 nm to
30 nm. The thickness is preferably 3 nm to 10 nm. The thickness within the range may
be helpful in the formation of the morphology of the photoactive layer to increase
the mobility of charges and enhance the open-circuit voltage and the ability to collect
charges due to the formation of dipoles at the interface, thereby increasing the density
of current. Further, the fill factor may be enhanced by preventing the recombination
of charges.
[0035] When the layer including the fullerene derivative has a thickness of more than 30
nm, there occurs a problem in that the density of current is decreased due to a decrease
in mobility of charges, and the fill factor deteriorates due to an increase in recombination
of charges.
[0036] The layer including the fullerene derivative includes one or two or more fullerene
derivatives selected from the group consisting of fullerene derivatives represented
by the following Chemical Formula 1 to 3.

In Chemical Formula 1 to 3,
Cn is a C60 to C120 fullerene,
m and n are each an integer of 0 to 3,
x, y, and z are each an integer of 1 to 10,
at least one of R1 and R2 is -(L)a-(Y),
a is an integer of 0 to 4,
when a is 2 or more, two or more L's are the same as or different from each other,
L is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent ester group; a substituted or unsubstituted
divalent thioester group; a substituted or unsubstituted divalent thionoester group;
a divalent ketone group; a divalent thione group; a divalent carbonyl group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkylene group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkenylene group;
a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group; or a substituted or unsubstituted divalent
hetero-cyclic group,
Y is a crown-type substituent,
Cy is a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
ring; or a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic hetero ring,
the other R's in R1 and R2 are the same as or different from each other, and each
independently hydrogen; a halogen group; a carboxylic acid group; a nitro group; a
nitrile group; an imide group; an amide group; an imine group; thioimide; an anhydride
group; a hydroxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted ester group; a substituted
or unsubstituted thioester group; a substituted or unsubstituted thionoester group;
a substituted or unsubstituted carbonyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted thione
group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
cycloalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
arylalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkylthioxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylthioxy group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkylsulfoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylsulfoxy group;
a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted silyl
group; a substituted or unsubstituted boron group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted aralkylamine group; a substituted
or unsubstituted arylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylamine group;
a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group; or a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic
group, and R1 and R2 in Chemical Formula 3 may combine with each other to form a monocyclic
or polycyclic ring,
r is an integer of 0 to 2,
s is an integer of 0 to 30,
when r and s are each 2 or more, the structures in the parenthesis are the same as
or different from each other, and
Chemical Formula 1 to 3 may be additionally unsubstituted or substituted with a substituent
selected from the group consisting of a halogen group; a carboxylic acid group; a
nitro group; a nitrile group; an imide group; an amide group; an imine group; thioimide;
an anhydride group; a hydroxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted ester group; a
substituted or unsubstituted thioester group; a substituted or unsubstituted thionoester
group; a substituted or unsubstituted carbonyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
thione group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
cycloalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
arylalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkylthioxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylthioxy group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkylsulfoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylsulfoxy group;
a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted silyl
group; a substituted or unsubstituted boron group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted aralkylamine group; a substituted
or unsubstituted arylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylamine group;
a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group; and a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic
group.
[0037] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the number of carbon atoms
of the crown-type substituent is 8 to 40.
[0038] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Y is represented by the
following structure.

In the structure,
1 is a repeating number of a structure in the parenthesis and is an integer of 1 to
3, and
when 1 is 2 or more, two or more structures in the parenthesis are the same as or
different from each other,
X1 to X4 are the same as or different from each other, and each independently O, S,
or NR,
R and R3 to R18 are the same as or different from each other, and each independently
hydrogen; a halogen group; a carboxylic acid group; a nitro group; a nitrile group;
an imide group; an amide group; an imine group; thioimide; an anhydride group; a hydroxy
group; a substituted or unsubstituted ester group; a substituted or unsubstituted
thioester group; a substituted or unsubstituted thionoester group; a substituted or
unsubstituted carbonyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted thione group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl group; a substituted
or unsubstituted aryloxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylthioxy group;
a substituted or unsubstituted arylthioxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylsulfoxy
group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylsulfoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkenyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted silyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
boron group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted
aralkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylamine group; a substituted
or unsubstituted heteroarylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group;
or a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic group, or adjacent groups combine
with each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon ring; or a substituted
or unsubstituted hetero ring, and
one of R3 to R18 combines with the fullerene derivative through -(L)a-.
[0039] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, L is a substituted or unsubstituted
divalent ester group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group; or a substituted
or unsubstituted arylene group.
[0040] In another exemplary embodiment, a is an integer of 2 or more, and the two or more
L's are the same as or different from each other, and each independently include a
divalent ester group; and a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group.
[0041] In still another exemplary embodiment, -(L)a- is

p is an integer of 0 to 30.
[0042] In yet another exemplary embodiment, p is 3.
[0043] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, a is an integer of 2 or
more, and the two or more L's are the same as or different from each other, and each
independently include a divalent ester group; and a substituted or unsubstituted arylene
group.
[0044] In another exemplary embodiment, -(L)a- is

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the rest other than -(L)a-(Y)
in R1 and R2 is hydrogen; or a substituted or unsubstituted ester group.
[0046] In one exemplary embodiment, the rest other than - (L)a-(Y) in R1 and R2 is hydrogen.
[0047] In another exemplary embodiment, the rest other than -(L)a-(Y) in R1 and R2 is a
substituted or unsubstituted ester group.
[0048] In one exemplary embodiment, the rest other than - (L)a-(Y) in R1 and R2 is an ester
group which is substituted with an alkyl group.
[0049] In another exemplary embodiment, the rest other than -(L)a-(Y) in R1 and R2 is an
ester group which is substituted with a methyl group.
[0050] In still another exemplary embodiment, the rest other than -(L)a-(Y) in R1 and R2
is a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group.
[0051] In yet another embodiment, the rest other than - (L)a-(Y) in R1 and R2 is a phenyl
group.
[0052] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, X1 is O.
[0053] In another exemplary embodiment, X2 is O.
[0054] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, X3 is O.
[0055] In another exemplary embodiment, X4 is O.
[0056] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, at least one of X1 to X4
is O.
[0057] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Cy of Chemical Formula 3
is a substituted or unsubstituted benzene; a substituted or unsubstituted naphthalene;
or a substituted or unsubstituted hetero ring.
[0058] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Cy of Chemical Formula 3
includes a substituted or unsubstituted benzene, a substituted or unsubstituted naphthalene,
or at least one of O, S, and N, and is a substituted or unsubstituted hetero ring.
[0059] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Cy of Chemical Formula 3
is benzene; naphthalene; or a hetero ring.
[0060] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Cy of Chemical Formula 3
is benzene, naphthalene, or a hetero ring including at least one of O, S, and N.
[0061] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Chemical Formula 3 may be
represented by the following Chemical Formula 3a.

[0062] In Chemical Formula 3a, Cy1 and Cy2 are the same as or different from each other,
and each a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
ring; or a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic hetero ring, and
the definitions of R1, R2, n, z, Cn, r, and s are the same as those described in Chemical
Formula 3.
[0063] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Chemical Formula 3 may be
represented by the following Chemical Formula 3b.
In Chemical Formula 3b, the definitions of R1, R2, n, z, and Cn are the same as those
described in Chemical Formula 3, and
r1 and r2 are an integer of 0 to 4, and when r1 and r2 are each 2 or more, the structures
in the parenthesis are the same as or different from each other.
[0064] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3, Cy
includes at least one of O, S, and N, and is a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic
or polycyclic hetero ring.
[0065] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3, Cy
includes at least one of O, S, and N, and is a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic
hetero ring.
[0066] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3, Cy
is a substituted or unsubstituted thiophene, a substituted or unsubstituted furan,
a substituted or unsubstituted pyrrole, or a substituted or unsubstituted imidazole.
[0067] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3, Cy
is thiophene, furan, pyrrole, or imidazole.
[0068] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3a,
at least one of Cy1 and Cy2 includes at least one of O, S, and N and is a substituted
or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic hetero ring, and the other is a substituted
or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ring or a substituted
or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic hetero ring.
[0069] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3a,
at least one of Cy1 and Cy2 includes at least one of O, S, and N and is a substituted
or unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic hetero ring, and the other is a substituted
or unsubstituted benzene.
[0070] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3a,
at least one of Cy1 and Cy2 includes at least one of O, S, and N and is a substituted
or unsubstituted monocyclic hetero ring, and the other is a substituted or unsubstituted
benzene.
[0071] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3, at
least one of Cy1 and Cy2 is a substituted or unsubstituted thiophene, a substituted
or unsubstituted furan, a substituted or unsubstituted pyrrole, or a substituted or
unsubstituted imidazole, and the other is a substituted or unsubstituted benzene.
[0072] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in Chemical Formula 3a,
at least one of Cy1 and Cy2 is thiophene, furan, pyrrole or imidazole, and the other
is benzene.
[0073] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the fullerene derivatives
represented by Chemical Formula 1 to 3 are represented by the following Chemical Formula
1-1, Chemical Formula 2-1, Chemical Formula 2-2, and Chemical Formula 3-1.

In Chemical Formula 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, and 3-1,
Cn, 1, x, y, and z are the same as those described above.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, Cn is a C60 fullerene derivative.
[0074] In another exemplary embodiment, 1 is 1.
[0075] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in any one of Chemical Formula
1 and 1-1, x is 1 to 10, 1 to 7, 1 to 5, 1 to 3, or 1.
[0076] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in any one of Chemical Formula
2, 2-1, and 2-2, y is 1 to 10, 1 to 7, 1 to 5, 1 to 3, or 1.
[0077] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in any one of Chemical Formula
3 and 3-1, z is 1 to 10, 1 to 7, 1 to 5, 1 to 3, or 1.
[0078] In one exemplary embodiment, the fullerene derivative represented by Chemical Formula
2-2 may be represented by the following Chemical Formula 2-2-1.

[0079] An exemplary embodiment of the present specification further includes an ionic group
provided at the center of the crown-type substituent. That is, an ionic group is provided
in an empty space at the center of the crown-type substituent, and forms a chemical
bond. In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, two or more molecules
in addition to only the single molecule of the crown-type substituent may form a 3-D
structure to participate in the binding of ions.
[0080] However, the person skilled in the art may perform a heat treatment or UV treatment,
if necessary, to crosslink fullerene derivatives having a plurality of crown-type
substituents.
[0081] In one exemplary embodiment, the crown-type substituent including the ionic group
may be represented as follows.
In the structure, R3 to R18, 1, and X1 to X4 are the same as those described above,
and
M is an ionic group.
[0082] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the number of ions of a
metal to be inserted and the type of metal may be selected by adjusting the repeating
number of 1, that is, the size of the crown-type substituent.
[0083] In the case of including an ionic group as described above, light absorption may
be increased via redistribution of incident light, and the barrier of charges may
be adjusted due to an increase in interfacial dipole. In addition, it is possible
to expect an organic solar cell with high efficiency due to an increase in conductivity.
[0084] In the present specification, the ionic group may be a positive ionic group or a
negative ionic group.
[0085] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the ionic group may include
one molecule, and also includes the case where two or more molecules form a 3-D structure
and are bonded to each other.
[0086] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the ionic group is a positive
ion of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr),
strontium (Sr), zinc (Zn), indium (In), lanthanum (La), vanadium (V), molybdenum (Mo),
tungsten (W), tin (Sn), niobium (Nb), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), barium (Ba), aluminum
(Al), yttrium (Y), scandium (Sc), samarium (Sm), gallium (Ga), potassium (K), cobalt
(Co), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), sodium (Na), and lead (Pb); an ammonium ion selected
from the group consisting of NH
4+ and CH
3NH
3+; or a negative ion selected from the group consisting of N
3-, CH
3CO
2-, CN
-, Br
-, Cl
-, I
-, F
-, SCN
-, ClO
4-, NO
3-, CO
32-, SO
42-, PO
43-, H
2PO-
42-, PdCl
62-, Na
-, Cs
-, citric acid ion (citrate
3-), SiF
5-, SiF
62-, GeF
62-, and BF
4-.
[0087] Examples of the substituents will be described below, but are not limited thereto.
[0088] The term "substitution" means that a hydrogen atom bonded to a carbon atom of a compound
is changed into another substituent, and a position to be substituted is not limited
as long as the position is a position at which the hydrogen atom is substituted, that
is, a position at which the substituent may be substituted, and when two or more are
substituted, the two or more substituents may be the same as or different from each
other.
[0089] The term "substituted or unsubstituted" as used herein means being unsubstituted
or substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of
deuterium; a halogen group; an alkyl group; an alkenyl group; an alkoxy group; an
ester group; a carbonyl group; a carboxyl group; a hydroxy group; a cycloalkyl group;
a silyl group; an arylalkenyl group; an aryloxy group; an alkylthioxy group; an alkylsulfoxy
group; an arylsulfoxy group; a boron group; an alkylamine group; an aralkylamine group;
an arylamine group; a heteroaryl group; a carbazole group; an arylamine group; an
aryl group; a nitrile group; a nitro group; a hydroxy group; and a hetero-cyclic group,
or being unsubstituted or substituted with the substituent to which two or more substituents
are linked among the exemplified substituents. For example, "the substituent to which
two or more substituents are linked" may be a biphenyl group. That is, the biphenyl
group may also be an aryl group, and may be interpreted as a substituent to which
two phenyl groups are linked.
[0090] In the present specification, the "adjacent" group may mean a substituent substituted
with an atom directly linked to an atom in which the corresponding substituent is
substituted, a substituent disposed sterically closest to the corresponding substituent,
or another substituent substituted with an atom in which the corresponding substituent
is substituted. For example, two substituents substituted at the ortho position in
a benzene ring and two substituents substituted with the same carbon in an aliphatic
ring may be interpreted as groups which are "adjacent" to each other.
[0091] In the present specification, the halogen group may be fluorine, chlorine, bromine,
or iodine.
[0092] In the present specification, the number of carbon atoms of an imide group is not
particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 25. Specifically, the imide group may
be a compound having the following structures, but is not limited thereto.

[0093] In the present specification, a thioimide group is a group in which C=O of the imide
group is substituted with C=S.
[0094] In the present specification, an anhydride group is a group in which the N atom of
the imide group is substituted with O.
[0095] In the present specification, for an amide group, one or two nitrogen atoms of the
amide group may be substituted with hydrogen, a straight-chained, branched, or cyclic
alkyl group having 1 to 25 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 25 carbon atoms.
Specifically, the amide group may be a compound having the following structural formula,
but is not limited thereto.

[0096] In the present specification, the amide group also includes a cyclic group such as
lactam.
[0097] In the present specification, the general formula of an ester group may be represented
by

or

R' is hydrogen; an alkoxy group having 1 to 60 carbon atoms; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkyl group having 1 to 60 carbon atoms; a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl
group having 3 to 60 carbon atoms; a substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl group
having 7 to 50 carbon atoms; a heteroarylalkyl group having 2 to 60 carbon atoms;
a substituted or unsubstituted ester group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms; a substituted
or unsubstituted carbonyl group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms; a substituted or unsubstituted
aryl group having 6 to 60 carbon atoms; or a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic
group having 2 to 60 carbon atoms, which includes one or more of N, O and S atoms.
[0098] The ester group of the present specification also includes a cyclic group such as
a lactone group.
[0099] In the present specification, a thioester group is a group in which C=O of the ester
group is substituted with C=S.
[0100] In the present specification, a carbonyl group may be represented by

R' is hydrogen; a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms;
a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group having 3 to 60 carbon atoms; a substituted
or unsubstituted arylalkyl group having 7 to 50 carbon atoms; a substituted or unsubstituted
aryl group having 6 to 60 carbon atoms; or a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic
group having 2 to 60 carbon atoms.
[0101] A thione group of the present specification is a group in which an O atom of the
carbonyl group is substituted with an S atom.
[0102] In the present specification, an imine group may be represented by

R' and R" are the same as or different from each other, and hydrogen; a substituted
or unsubstituted straight-chained, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 25
carbon atoms; or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 25 carbon atoms.
[0103] In the present specification, the ether group may be represented by

R is a substituted or unsubstituted straight-chained, branched, or cyclic alkyl group
having 1 to 25 carbon atoms; or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6
to 25 carbon atoms. Specifically, Z1 to Z3 are the same as or different from each
other, and a substituted or unsubstituted straight-chained, branched, or cyclic alkyl
group having 6 to 25 carbon atoms; or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having
6 to 25 carbon atoms.
[0104] In the present specification,

means a moiety linked to another substituent.
[0105] In the present specification, the alkyl group may be straight-chained or branched,
and the number of carbon atoms thereof is not particularly limited, but is preferably
1 to 50. Specific examples thereof include methyl, ethyl, propyl, n-propyl, isopropyl,
butyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, sec-butyl, 1-methyl-butyl, 1-ethylbutyl, pentyl,
n-pentyl, isopentyl, neopentyl, tert-pentyl, hexyl, n-hexyl, 1-methylpentyl, 2-methylpentyl,
4-methyl-2-pentyl, 3,3-dimethylbutyl, 2-ethylbutyl, heptyl, n-heptyl, 1-methylhexyl,
cyclopentylmethyl, cyclohexylmethyl, octyl, n-octyl, tert-octyl, 1-methylheptyl, 2-ethylhexyl,
2-propylpentyl, n-nonyl, 2,2-dimethylheptyl, 1-ethyl-propyl, 1,1-dimethyl-propyl,
isohexyl, 2-methylpentyl, 4-methylhexyl, 5-methylhexyl, and the like, but are not
limited thereto.
[0106] In the present specification, a cycloalkyl group is not particularly limited, but
the number of carbon atoms thereof is preferably 3 to 60, and specific examples thereof
include cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, 3-methylcyclopentyl, 2,3-dimethylcyclopentyl,
cyclohexyl, 3-methylcyclohexyl, 4-methylcyclohexyl, 2,3-dimethylcyclohexyl, 3,4,5-trimethylcyclohexyl,
4-tert-butylcyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclooctyl, and the like, but are not limited
thereto.
[0107] In the present specification, the alkoxy group may be straight-chained, branched,
or cyclic. The number of carbon atoms of the alkoxy group is not particularly limited,
but is preferably 1 to 20. Specific examples thereof include methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy,
isopropoxy, i-propyloxy, n-butoxy, isobutoxy, tert-butoxy, sec-butoxy, n-pentyloxy,
neopentyloxy, isopentyloxy, n-hexyloxy, 3,3-dimethylbutyloxy, 2-ethylbutyloxy, n-octyloxy,
n-nonyloxy, n-decyloxy, benzyloxy, p-methylbenzyloxy, and the like, but are not limited
thereto.
[0108] In the present specification, the number of carbon atoms of the arylalkyl group is
not particularly limited in, but in an exemplary embodiment of the present specification,
the number of carbon atoms of the arylalkyl group is 7 to 50. Specifically, the number
of carbon atoms of the aryl moiety is 6 to 49, and the number of carbon atoms of the
alkyl moiety is 1 to 44. Specific examples thereof include a benzyl group, a p-methylbenzyl
group, an m-methylbenzyl group, a p-ethylbenzyl group, an m-ethylbenzyl group, a 3,5-dimethylbenzyl
group, an α-methylbenzyl group, an α,α-dimethylbenzyl group, an α,α-methylphenylbenzyl
group, a 1-naphthylbenzyl group, a 2-naphthylbenzyl group, a p-fluorobenzyl group,
a 3,5-difluorobenzyl group, an α,α-ditrifluoromethylbenzyl group, a p-methoxybenzyl
group, an m-methoxybenzyl group, an α-phenoxybenzyl group, an α-benzyloxybenzyl group,
a naphthylmethyl group, a naphthylethyl group, a naphthylisopropyl group, a pyrrolylmethyl
group, a pyrrolylethyl group, an aminobenzyl group, a nitrobenzyl group, a cyanobenzyl
group, a 1-hydroxy-2-phenylisopropyl group, a 1-chloro-2-phenylisopropyl group, and
the like, but are not limited thereto.
[0109] In the present specification, the alkenyl group may be straight-chained or branched,
and the number of carbon atoms thereof is not particularly limited, but is preferably
2 to 40. Specific examples thereof include vinyl, 1-propenyl, isopropenyl, 1-butenyl,
2-butenyl, 3-butenyl, 1-pentenyl, 2-pentenyl, 3-pentenyl, 3-methyl-1-butenyl, 1,3-butadienyl,
allyl, 1-phenylvinyl-1-yl, 2-phenylvinyl-1-yl, 2,2-diphenylvinyl-1-yl, 2-phenyl-2-(naphthyl-1-yl)vinyl-1-yl,
2,2-bis(diphenyl-1-yl)vinyl-1-yl, a stilbenyl group, a styrenyl group, and the like,
but are not limited thereto.
[0110] In the present specification, specific examples of a silyl group include a trimethylsilyl
group, a triethylsilyl group, a t-butyldimethylsilyl group, a vinyldimethylsilyl group,
a propyldimethylsilyl group, a triphenylsilyl group, a diphenylsilyl group, a phenylsilyl
group, and the like, but are not limited thereto.
[0111] In the present specification, the aryl group may be monocyclic, and the number of
carbon atoms thereof is not particularly limited, but is preferably 6 to 60. Specific
examples of the aryl group include a monocyclic aromatic group, such as a phenyl group,
a biphenyl group, and a terphenyl group, a polycyclic aromatic group, such as a naphthyl
group, an anthracenyl group, a phenanthrenyl group, a pyrenyl group, a perylenyl group,
a tetracenyl group, a chrysenyl group, a fluorenyl group, an acenaphthacenyl group,
a triphenylene group, and a fluoranthene group, and the like, but are not limited
thereto.
[0112] In the present specification, the fluorenyl group may be substituted, and adjacent
substituents may combine with each other to form a ring.
[0113] When the fluorenyl group is substituted, the fluorenyl group may be

and the like. However, the fluorenyl group is not limited thereto.
[0114] In the present specification, a hetero-cyclic group or a heteroaryl group includes
one or more of an atom other than carbon, that is, a heteroatom, and specifically,
the heteroatom may include one or more atoms selected from the group consisting of
O, N, and S, and the like. The number of carbon atoms of the hetero-cyclic group is
not particularly limited, but is preferably 2 to 60. Examples of the hetero-cyclic
group include a thiophene group, a furan group, a pyrrole group, an imidazole group,
a thiazole group, an oxazole group, an oxadiazole group, a triazole group, a pyridyl
group, a bipyridyl group, a triazine group, an acridyl group, a pyridazine group,
a qinolinyl group, an isoquinoline group, an indole group, a carbazole group, a benzoxazole
group, a benzoimidazole group, a benzothiazole group, a benzocarbazole group, a benzothiophene
group, a dibenzothiophene group, a benzofuranyl group, a phenanthroline group, a dibenzofuranyl
group, and the like, but are not limited thereto.
[0115] In the present specification, the heteroaryl in the heteroaryloxy group may be selected
from the above-described examples of the heteroaryl group. In the present specification,
the aryl group in the aryloxy group, the arylthioxy group, the arylsulfoxy group,
and the aralkylamine group is the same as the above-described examples of the aryl
group. Specifically, examples of the aryloxy group include phenoxy, p-tolyloxy, m-tolyloxy,
3,5-dimethyl-phenoxy, 2,4,6-trimethylphenoxy, p-tert-butylphenoxy, 3-biphenyloxy,
4-biphenyloxy, 1-naphthyloxy, 2-naphthyloxy, 4-methyl-1-naphthyloxy, 5-methyl-2-naphthyloxy,
1-anthryloxy, 2-anthryloxy, 9-anthryloxy, 1-phenanthryloxy, 3-phenanthryloxy, 9-phenanthryloxy,
and the like, examples of the arylthioxy group include a phenylthioxy group, a 2-methylphenylthioxy
group, a 4-tert-butylphenylthioxy group, and the like, and examples of the arylsulfoxy
group include a benzenesulfoxy group, a p-toluenesulfoxy group, and the like, but
the examples are not limited thereto.
[0116] In the present specification, the alkyl group in the alkylthioxy group, the alkylsulfoxy
group, the alkylamine group, and the aralkylamine group is the same as the above-described
examples of the alkyl group. Specifically, examples of the alkylthioxy group include
a methylthioxy group, an ethylthioxy group, a tert-butylthioxy group, a hexylthioxy
group, an octylthioxy group, and the like, and examples of the alkylsulfoxy group
include mesyl, an ethylsulfoxy group, a propylsulfoxy group, a butylsulfoxy group,
and the like, but the examples are not limited thereto.
[0117] In the present specification, the number of carbon atoms of the amine group is not
particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 30. Specific examples of the amine group
include a methylamine group, a dimethylamine group, an ethylamine group, a diethylamine
group, a phenylamine group, a naphthylamine group, a biphenylamine group, an anthracenylamine
group, a 9-methyl-anthracenylamine group, a diphenylamine group, a phenylnaphthylamine
group, a ditolylamine group, a phenyltolylamine group, a triphenylamine group, and
the like, but are not limited thereto.
[0118] In the present specification, examples of the arylamine group include a substituted
or unsubstituted monoarylamine group, a substituted or unsubstituted diarylamine group,
or a substituted or unsubstituted triarylamine group. The aryl group in the arylamine
group may be a monocyclic aryl group or a polycyclic aryl group. The two or more arylamine
groups which the aryl group includes may include a monocyclic aryl group, a polycyclic
aryl group, or both a monocyclic aryl group and a polycyclic aryl group.
[0119] Specific examples of the arylamine group include phenylamine, naphthylamine, biphenylamine,
anthracenylamine, 3-methyl-phenylamine, 4-methyl-naphthylamine, 2-methyl-biphenylamine,
9-methyl-anthracenylamine, a diphenylamine group, a phenylnaphthylamine group, a ditolylamine
group, a phenyltolylamine group, carbazole, a triphenylamine group, and the like,
but are not limited thereto.
[0120] In the present specification, the heteroaryl group in the heteroarylamine group may
be selected from the above-described examples of the heterocyclic group.
[0121] In the present specification, an alkylene group, an alkenylene group, and an arylene
group each mean that there are two bonding positions in an alkyl group, an alkenyl
group, and an aryl group, that is, a divalent group. The above-described description
on the alkyl group and the aryl group may be applied, except that the alkylene group,
the alkenylene group, and the arylene group are a divalent group.
[0122] In the present specification, a case where adjacent groups combine with each other
to form a hydrocarbon ring or a hetero ring means that adjacent substituents form
a bond to form a 5- to 8-membered monocyclic or polycyclic hydrocarbon ring or a 5-
to 8-membered monocyclic or polycyclic hetero ring including one or more heteroatoms.
[0123] In the present specification, the hydrocarbon ring includes all of a cycloalkyl group;
a cycloalkenyl group; an aromatic ring group; or an aliphatic ring group, may be monocyclic
or polycyclic, and includes all of the rings fused by combining one or two or more
of these groups.
[0124] The hetero ring formed in the present specification means those in which at least
one carbon atom of the hydrocarbon rings is substituted with a heteroatom, may be
an aliphatic ring or an aromatic ring, and may be monocyclic or polycyclic.
[0125] In another exemplary embodiment, the organic solar cell has a normal structure in
which the first electrode is an anode, and the second electrode is a cathode.
[0126] The normal structure may mean that an anode is formed on a substrate. Specifically,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, when the organic
solar cell has a normal structure, a first electrode to be formed on a substrate may
be an anode.
[0127] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the organic solar cell according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present specification. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates an organic
solar cell having a normal structure. In FIG. 1, ITO is provided as an anode on a
substrate, and a PEDOT:PSS layer is formed as a buffer layer on the anode. Further,
P3HT:PCBM is used as a photoactive layer, a layer including a fullerene derivative
substituted with a crown-type substituent and the photoactive layer are simultaneously
formed, and a cathode is formed by using Al. The fullerene derivative substituted
with the crown-type substituent is mixed with a photoactive layer material to form
a separate layer through the self-phase separation.
[0128] However, the organic solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
specification is not limited to the structure and material in FIG. 1, an additional
layer may be provided, and each layer may be constituted by using various materials.
[0129] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the organic solar cell has
an inverted structure in which the first electrode is a cathode, and the second electrode
is an anode.
[0130] The inverted structure may mean that a cathode is formed on a substrate. Specifically,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, when the organic
solar cell has an inverted structure, a first electrode to be formed on a substrate
may be a cathode.
[0131] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the organic solar cell according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present specification. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates an organic
solar cell having an inverted structure. In FIG. 2, ITO is provided as a cathode on
a substrate, and a buffer layer is formed on the cathode by using ZnO. In addition,
P3HT: PCBM is used as a photoactive layer, a layer including a fullerene derivative
substituted with a crown-type substituent and the photoactive layer are simultaneously
formed, and MoO
3/Al is formed as an anode.
[0132] However, the solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification
is not limited to the structure and material in FIG. 2, an additional layer may be
provided, and each layer may be constituted by using various materials.
[0133] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the organic solar cell further
includes one or two or more organic material layers selected from the group consisting
of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a hole blocking layer, a charge
generation layer, an electron blocking layer, an electron injection layer, and an
electron transport layer.
[0134] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the organic solar cell has
an inverted structure in which the first electrode is a cathode and the second electrode
is an anode, a cathode buffer layer is provided between the first electrode and the
photoactive layer, and an anode buffer layer is provided between the second electrode
and the photoactive layer.
[0135] An exemplary embodiment of the present specification may further include another
organic material layer in addition to the anode buffer layer and the cathode buffer
layer. Another exemplary embodiment may include only one of the anode buffer layer
and the cathode buffer layer, and may not include the buffer layer.
[0136] In still another exemplary embodiment, the organic solar cell has a normal structure
in which the first electrode is an anode and the second electrode is a cathode, an
anode buffer layer is provided between the first electrode and the photoactive layer,
and a cathode buffer layer is provided between the second electrode and the photoactive
layer.
[0137] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the cathode buffer layer
may be an electron transport layer.
[0138] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the anode buffer layer may
be a hole transport layer.
[0139] The first electrode of the present specification may be a cathode electrode, and
may be a transparent conductive oxide layer or a metal electrode.
[0140] When the first electrode is a transparent electrode, the first electrode may be a
conductive oxide, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). Furthermore,
the first electrode may also be a semi-transparent electrode. When the first electrode
is a semi-transparent electrode, the first electrode may be prepared by using a semi-transparent
metal such as Ag, Au, Mg, Ca, or an alloy thereof. When a semi-transparent metal is
used as a first electrode, the organic solar cell may have a micro cavity structure.
[0141] When the electrode of the present specification is a transparent conductive oxide
layer, as the electrode, it is possible to use an electrode in which a conductive
material is doped onto a flexible and transparent material such as plastic including
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polypropylene (PP),
polyimide (PI), polycarbornate (PC), polystyrene (PS), polyoxymethylene (POM), an
acrylonitrile styrene copolymer (AS resin), an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer
(ABS resin), triacetyl cellulose (TAC), and polyarylate (PAR) in addition to glass
and a quartz plate. Specifically, the electrode may be indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine
doped tin oxide (FTO), aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), ZnO-Ga
2O
3, ZnO-Al
2O
3, antimony tin oxide (ATO), and the like, and more specifically, the electrode may
be ITO.
[0142] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the second electrode may
be an anode, and the second electrode may be a metal electrode. Specifically, the
metal electrode may include one or two or more selected from the group consisting
of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), tungsten (W), copper (Cu), molybdenum
(Mo), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), and palladium (Pd). More specifically, the metal electrode
may be silver (Ag).
[0143] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, in the forming of the first
electrode and/or the second electrode, a patterned ITO substrate is sequentially cleaned
with a cleaner, acetone, and isopropanol (IPA), and then dried on a hot plate at 100°C
to 250°C for 1 minute to 30 minutes, specifically at 250°C for 10 minutes, in order
to remove moisture, and when the substrate is completely cleaned, the surface of the
substrate may be hydrophilically modified. As a pre-treatment technology for this
purpose, it is possible to use a) a surface oxidation method using a parallel flat
plate-type discharge, b) a method of oxidizing the surface through ozone produced
by using UV rays in a vacuum state, c) an oxidation method using oxygen radicals produced
by plasma, and the like. The junction surface potential may be maintained through
a surface modification as described above at a level suitable for the surface potential
of the hole injection layer, and a polymer thin film is easily formed on an ITO substrate
and the quality of the thin film may be improved. Depending on the condition of the
substrate, one of the methods is selected, and whatever method is used, a substantial
effect of the pre-treatment may be commonly expected only when oxygen is prevented
from leaving from the surface of the substrate and moisture and organic materials
are maximally inhibited from remaining.
[0144] In the Examples of the present specification described below, the method of oxidizing
the surface through ozone produced by using UV was used, and after ultrasonic cleaning,
the patterned ITO substrate was baked and dried well on a hot plate, introduced into
the next chamber, and an UV lamp was actuated to clean the patterned ITO substrate
by ozone produced by reacting oxygen gas with UV light. However, the method of modifying
the surface of the patterned ITO substrate in the present invention need not be particularly
limited, and any method may be used as long as the method is a method of oxidizing
a substrate.
[0145] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the organic solar cell has
an inverted structure. When the organic solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment
of the present specification has an inverted structure, the second electrode may be
silver (Ag) or MoO
3/Al.
[0146] The organic solar cell having the inverted structure according to the present specification
may mean that an anode and a cathode of an organic solar cell having a general structure
are constituted in a reverse direction. An Al layer used in an organic solar cell
having a general structure is very vulnerable to an oxidation reaction in the air,
has difficulty in being used as an ink, and thus has a limitation in commercialization
through a printing process. However, since Ag may be used instead of Al, the organic
solar cell having the inverted structure according to the present specification is
more stable to the oxidation reaction than an organic solar cell having a general
structure and facilitates the preparation of an Ag ink, and accordingly, there is
an advantage in that the organic solar cell is advantageous in commercialization through
a printing process.
[0147] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the organic solar
cell may have a normal structure. When the organic solar cell according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present specification has a normal structure, the second electrode
may be Al.
[0148] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the charge transport layer
includes one or two or more selected from the group consisting of conductive oxides,
metal carbides, and metals.
[0149] In another exemplary embodiment, the charge transport layer includes one or more
selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide; zinc oxide; and cesium carbonate.
[0150] In the present specification, the charge transport layer means a layer which transports
"holes" or "electrons", and may be an electron transport layer or a hole transport
layer.
[0151] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, a conductive oxide
of the electron transport layer may be electron-extracting metal oxides, and specifically,
may include one or more selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide (TiO
x); zinc oxide (ZnO); and cesium carbonate (Cs
2CO
3).
[0152] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the metal may
be a core shell material including silver (Ag) nanoparticle, gold (Au) nanoparticle,
and a metal oxide such as Ag-SiO
2, Ag-TiO
2, and Au-TiO
2. The core shell material includes a metal as a core, and a metal oxide such as Ag-SiO
2, Ag-TiO
2, and Au-TiO
2 as a shell.
[0153] The electron transport layer may be formed by using sputtering, E-Beam, thermal deposition,
spin coating, screen printing, inkjet printing, doctor blade, or a gravure printing
method to be applied on one surface of a first electrode or to be coated in the form
of a film.
[0154] In exemplary embodiments of the present specification, the photoactive layer includes
an electron donor material and an electron acceptor material as a photoactive material.
In the present specification, the photoactive material may mean the electron donor
material and the electron acceptor material.
[0155] In the photoactive layer, the electron donor material forms an exciton in which an
electron and a hole form a pair by photoexcitation, and the exciton is divided into
an electron and a hole at the interface of electron donor/electron acceptor. The separated
electron and hole move to the electron donor material and the electron acceptor material,
respectively, and the electron and hole may be collected in the first electrode and
the second electrode to be used in the outside as an electric energy.
[0156] Further, in an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the photoactive
layer may have a bulk heterojunction structure or a double layer junction structure.
The bulk heterojunction structure may be a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) junction type,
and the double layer junction structure may be a bi-layer junction type.
[0157] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, a mass ratio of the electron
donor material and the electron acceptor material may be 1:10 to 10:1. Specifically,
the mass ratio of the electron acceptor material and the electron donor material in
the present specification may be 1:0.5 to 1:5.
[0158] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the electron donor
material may include: at least one electron donor; or a polymer of at least one electron
acceptor and at least one electron donor. The electron donor material may include
at least one electron donor. In addition, the electron donor material includes a polymer
of at least one electron acceptor and at least one electron donor.
[0159] Specifically, the electron donor material may be various polymeric materials such
as thiophene-based, fluorene-based, and carbazole-based materials, and a single molecular
material, starting from poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene]
(MEH-PPV).
[0160] Specifically, the single molecular material may include one or more materials selected
from the group consisting of copper (II) phthalocyanine, zinc phthalocyanine, tris[4-(5-dicyanomethylidenemethyl-2-thienyl)phenyl]amine,
2,4-bis[4-(N,N-dibenzylamino)-2,6-dihydroxyphenyl]squaraine, benz[b]anthracene, and
pentacene. Specifically, the polymeric material may include one or more materials
selected from the group consisting of poly 3-hexyl thiophene (P3HT), poly[N-9'-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4'-7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)]
(PCDTBT), poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2,ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benxothiadiazole)]
(PCPDTBT), poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene)-alt-5,5-(4,7-di 2-thienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)]
(PFO-DBT), poly[[4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl][3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl]]
(PTB7), and poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctyl-dibenzosilole)-alt-4,7-bis(thiophen-2-yl)benzo-2,1,3-thiadiazole]
(PSiF-DBT).
[0161] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the electron acceptor material
may be a fullerene derivative or a non-fullerene derivative.
[0162] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the fullerene derivative
is a C60 to C90 fullerene derivative. Specifically, the fullerene derivative may be
a C60 fullerene derivative or a C70 fullerene derivative.
[0163] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the C60 fullerene
derivative or the C70 fullerene derivative is each independently selected from the
group consisting of hydrogen; deuterium; a halogen group; a nitrile group; a nitro
group; an imide group; an amide group; a hydroxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkylthioxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylthioxy group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkylsulfoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylsulfoxy group;
a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted silyl
group; a substituted or unsubstituted boron group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted aralkylamine group; a substituted
or unsubstituted arylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylamine group;
a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group; and a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic
group, or two adjacent substituents may be additionally substituted with a substituent
which forms a fused ring.
[0164] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the fullerene derivative
may be selected from the group consisting of a C76 fullerene derivative, a C78 fullerene
derivative, a C84 fullerene derivative, and a C90 fullerene derivative.
[0165] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the C76 fullerene derivative,
the C78 fullerene derivative, the C84 fullerene derivative, and the C90 fullerene
derivative are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen;
deuterium; a halogen group; a nitrile group; a nitro group; an imide group; an amide
group; a hydroxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group; a substituted
or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy group; a
substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylthioxy
group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylthioxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted
alkylsulfoxy group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylsulfoxy group; a substituted
or unsubstituted alkenyl group; a substituted or unsubstituted silyl group; a substituted
or unsubstituted boron group; a substituted or unsubstituted alkylamine group; a substituted
or unsubstituted aralkylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted arylamine group;
a substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylamine group; a substituted or unsubstituted
aryl group; and a substituted or unsubstituted hetero-cyclic group, or two adjacent
substituents may be additionally substituted with a substituent which forms a fused
ring.
[0166] The fullerene derivative has excellent ability to separate an electron-hole pair
(exciton) and excellent charge mobility compared to the non-fullerene derivative,
and thus is advantageous in efficiency characteristics.
[0167] In the photoactive layer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification,
an electron donor material and an electron acceptor material may form a bulk heterojunction
(BHJ). The photoactive layer of the present specification may be annealed at 30°C
to 300°C for 1 second to 24 hours in order to maximize the characteristics after the
electron donor material and the electron acceptor material are mixed with each other.
[0168] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the photoactive layer may
include poly 3-hexyl thiophene (P3HT) as an electron donor material and [6,6]-phenyl-C
61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC
61BM) and/or [6,6]-phenyl-C
71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC
71BM) as an electron acceptor material.
[0169] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, a mass ratio of the electron
donor material and the electron acceptor material may be 1:0.4 to 1:2, and specifically
1:0.7. However, the photoactive layer is not limited to only the materials.
[0170] The photoactive materials as described above are dissolved in an organic solvent,
and then the solution is applied to have a thickness in a range of 50 nm to 280 nm
by a method such as spin coating to introduce a photoactive layer. In this case, it
is possible to apply a method, such as dip coating, screen printing, spray coating,
doctor blade, and brush painting, to the photoactive layer.
[0171] In addition, in the electron acceptor, other fullerene derivatives including PC
61BM, such as C70, C76, C78, C80, C82, and C84 may also be used, and the crystallinity
of the conductive polymer may be enhanced by subjecting the coated thin film to a
heat treatment at 80°C to 160°C. Specifically, the organic solar cell of the present
specification has an inverted structure, and in this case, a pre-annealing may be
carried out at 120°C.
[0172] The hole transport layer and/or electron transport layer material(s) of the present
specification may be a material which enhances the probability that the produced charges
are transported to electrodes by efficiently transferring electrons and holes to a
photoactive layer, but are/is not particularly limited.
[0173] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the hole transport
layer may be an anode buffer layer.
[0174] The hole transport layer may be introduced into the upper portion of the pre-treated
photoactive layer by a method such as spin coating, dip coating, inkjet printing,
gravure printing, spray coating, doctor blade, bar coating, gravure coating, brush
painting, and thermal deposition. In this case, poly(3,5-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate)
[PEDOT:PSS] is usually used as the conductive polymer solution, and it is possible
to use molybdenum oxide (MoO
x), vanadium oxide (V
2O
5), nickel oxide (NiO), tungsten oxide (WO
x), and the like as the hole-extracting metal oxide material. According to an exemplary
embodiment of the present specification, the hole transport layer may be formed by
depositing MoO
3 to have a thickness of 5 nm to 10 nm through a thermal deposition system.
[0175] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the organic solar
cell may further include a substrate. Specifically, the substrate may be provided
at the lower portion of the first electrode.
[0176] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, as the substrate,
it is possible to use a substrate having excellent transparency, surface smoothness,
ease of handling, and water-proof property. Specifically, a glass substrate, a thin
film glass substrate, or a transparent plastic substrate may be used. The plastic
substrate may include a film such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene
naphthalate (PEN), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), and polyimide (PI) in the form of
a single layer or multi-layers. However, the substrate is not limited thereto, and
a substrate typically used for an organic solar cell may be used.
[0177] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the organic solar
cell may have a wound structure. Specifically, the organic solar cell may be manufactured
in the form of a flexible film, and may be made as a solar cell having a hollow wound
structure in which the film is wound in a cylindrical form. When the organic solar
cell has a wound structure, the organic solar cell may be installed in a manner in
which the organic solar cell is stood up on the ground. In this case, at the position
in which the organic solar cell is installed, it is possible to secure a portion in
which the incident angle of light becomes a maximum while the sun moves from the east
to the west. Accordingly, there is an advantage in that light may be absorbed as much
as possible and the efficiency may be enhanced while the sun is rising.
[0178] The present specification provides a method for manufacturing the above-described
organic solar cell, the method including: preparing a substrate; forming a first electrode
on the substrate; forming an organic material layer having two or more layers including
a photoactive layer and a layer including a fullerene derivative having a crown-type
substituent, on the first electrode; and forming a second electrode on the organic
material layer.
[0179] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the forming of the organic
material layer includes coating a composition including a photoactive layer material
and a material for a layer including a fullerene derivative, and
the photoactive layer and the fullerene layer are simultaneously formed by the phase
separation of the photoactive layer material and the material for the layer including
the fullerene derivative.
[0180] In the process of the organic solar cell, when a buffer layer provided between the
photoactive layer and the first electrode or the second electrode is manufactured,
the buffer layer has a thin thickness, so that it is not easy to adjust the thickness
of the buffer layer or uniformly manufacture the buffer layer during the process.
[0181] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the material for the layer
including a fullerene derivative having a crown-type substituent may be mixed with
a photoactive layer material to be together coated when the photoactive layer is manufactured.
[0182] In this case, the material for the layer including the fullerene derivative includes
a self-phase separation unit, that is, a crown-type substituent, and thus, the material
for the layer may form a double layer of a photoactive layer and a layer including
a fullerene derivative. The layer including the fullerene derivative acts as a buffer
layer in the organic solar cell, and thus may form a double layer of a photoactive
layer and a layer including a fullerene derivative by a single process without a separate
process of manufacturing the buffer layer.
[0183] In this case, in a mixed solution of a photoactive layer material and a material
for a layer including a fullerene derivative, an amount of material for a layer including
a fullerene derivative may be adjusted to adjust the thickness of the layer including
the fullerene derivative and form a uniform layer.
[0184] Further, the concentration of the layer including a fullerene derivative and/or a
substituent to be substituted into the fullerene derivative may be adjusted such that
the layer is provided on one surface of the photoactive layer, which is close to the
first electrode, or one surface of the photoactive layer, which is close to the second
electrode, and accordingly, it is possible to adjust the position of the layer including
a fullerene derivative, which serves as a buffer layer.
[0185] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the ratio of the electron
donor material of the photoactive layer material and the material for the layer including
the fullerene derivative is 0.01 wt% to 0.2 wt%. In an exemplary embodiment of the
present specification, the ratio of the electron donor material of the photoactive
layer material and the material for the layer including the fullerene derivative is
0.05 wt% to 0.1 wt%.
[0186] In the organic solar cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification,
the layer including the fullerene derivative, the first electrode, the second electrode,
the photoactive layer, the layer including the fullerene derivative, the fullerene
derivative, and the crown-type substituent are the same as those described above.
[0187] In the present specification, a generally used method may be used, except for the
forming of the organic material layer having two or more layers, which includes the
photoactive layer and the layer including the fullerene derivative.
[Mode for Invention]
[0188] Hereinafter, the present specification will be described in detail with reference
to the Examples for specifically describing the present specification. However, the
Examples according to the present specification may be modified in various forms,
and it is not interpreted that the scope of the present specification is limited to
the Examples described below in detail. The Examples of the present specification
are provided for more completely explaining the present specification to the person
with ordinary skill in the art.
Preparation Example 1. Preparation of Chemical Formula 2-2-1
[0189]

[0190] 1 g of PCBM was put into 80 ml of chlorobenzene, and the resulting mixture was subjected
to reflux reaction at 180°C for approximately 1 hour. 8 ml of hydrochloric acid and
20 ml of acetic acid were added thereto, and then the resulting mixture was subjected
to reflux reaction at 180°C for 16 hours. Whether PCBM disappeared was confirmed by
TLC, and then the solution was concentrated until the amount of solvent became approximately
30 ml. PCBA, which is a sold sample obtained by precipitation with methanol, was filtered
and dried. (yield = 89%)
[0191] 120 mg of the dried PCBA was put into approximately 5 ml of o-dichlorobenzene, and
0.067 ml of hydroxymethyl 12-C-4, 33 mg of 4-dimethylaminopyridine, and 51.4 mg of
1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDCI) were added thereto at 0°C. The
mixture was stirred for 12 hours while gradually increasing the temperature from 0°C
to room temperature. When the reaction was terminated, column purification was carried
out to obtain a desired compound. (yield = 10%)
[0192] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the MS graph of a fullerene derivative of Chemical
Formula 2-2-1 prepared above.
Preparation Example of Organic Solar Cell
[0193] An ITO glass was subjected to ultrasonication in each of acetone and ethanol for
30 minutes and washed. After the washing, the surface was treated for 15 minutes by
using UVO, and PEDOT:PSS was coated on the surface-treated ITO glass, and then a heat
treatment was carried out at 200°C for 5 minutes. After the heat treatment, a P3HT:PCBM
solution mixed at a ratio of 1 : 0.7 was coated to form a thin film having a thickness
of approximately 220 nm, and then a heat treatment was carried out at 110°C for 10
minutes. An Al electrode was deposited to have a thickness of 100 nm at 1 x 10
-7 torr.
[Example 1]
[0194] An organic solar cell was manufactured in the same manner as in the Preparation Example
of the organic solar cell, except that a Li
+ ion composite of the fullerene derivative of Chemical Formula 2-2-1 prepared through
the Preparation Example was added in an amount of 1% based on the total weight of
the photoactive layer to the P3HT:PCBM solution in the Preparation Example.
[Example 2]
[0195] An organic solar cell was manufactured in the same manner as in the Preparation Example
of the organic solar cell, except that a Li
+ ion composite of the fullerene derivative of Chemical Formula 2-2-1 prepared through
the Preparation Example was added in an amount of 3% based on the total mass of the
photoactive layer to the P3HT:PCBM solution in the Preparation Example.
[Example 3]
[0196] An organic solar cell was manufactured in the same manner as in the Preparation Example
of the organic solar cell, except that a Li
+ ion composite of the fullerene derivative of Chemical Formula 2-2-1 prepared through
the Preparation Example was added in an amount of 5% based on the total mass of the
photoactive layer to the P3HT:PCBM solution in the Preparation Example.
[Example 4]
[0197] An organic solar cell was manufactured in the same manner as in the Preparation Example
of the organic solar cell, except that the fullerene derivative of Chemical Formula
2-2-1 prepared through the Preparation Example was added in an amount of 1% based
on the total mass of the photoactive layer to the P3HT:PCBM solution in the Preparation
Example.
[Comparative Example 1]
[0198] An organic solar cell was manufactured in the same manner as in the Preparation Example
of the organic solar cell, except that LiF was vacuum-deposited to have a thickness
of 0.7 nm at a degree of vacuum of 1 x 10
-7 torr, and after the vacuum deposition, an Al electrode was deposited to have a thickness
of 100 nm at 1 x 10
-7 torr.
[0199] The photoelectric conversion characteristics of the organic solar cells manufactured
according to the Experimental Examples and the Comparative Example are shown in the
following Table 1.
[Table 1]
| |
Voc (V) |
Jsc (mA/cm2) |
FF |
PCE (%) |
| Comparative Example 1 |
0.608 |
9.48 |
0.575 |
3.31 |
| Example 1 |
0.610 |
9.60 |
0.578 |
3.38 |
| Example 2 |
0.618 |
10.10 |
0.591 |
3.69 |
| Example 3 |
0.626 |
10.55 |
0.608 |
4.02 |
| Example 4 |
0.615 |
9.98 |
0.589 |
3.62 |
[0200] In the present specification, V
oc, J
sc, FF, and PCE mean an open-circuit voltage, a current density or a short-circuit current,
a fill factor, and energy conversion efficiency, respectively. The open-circuit voltage
and the short-circuit current are an X axis intercept and an Y axis intercept, respectively,
in the fourth quadrant of the voltage-current density curve, and as the two values
are increased, the efficiency of the solar cell is preferably increased. In addition,
the fill factor is a value obtained by dividing the area of a rectangle, which may
be drawn within the curve, by the product of the short-circuit current and the open
circuit voltage. The energy conversion efficiency may be obtained when these three
values are divided by the intensity of the irradiated light, and the higher value
is preferred.
[0201] When the physical properties of the organic solar cells according to the Comparative
Example and the Examples in Table 1 are compared with each other, it can be seen that
the organic solar cells of Examples 1 to 4 exhibited higher fill factors and/or higher
efficiencies than those of Comparative Examples 1 and 2.